Chapter Text
Vidrio remained in the room, still miffed by what had happened. He still had no idea what he could’ve done wrong, by all means Phillip should’ve been overjoyed to have that memory. Nothing made sense about it, and he hated that. Maybe his father wasn’t a good man, but that seemed unlikely. The demigod had no clue as to what could’ve happened, but now he was determined to find out.
“Vidrio, don't bother him.” Oak said, watching him stand up. “You need to let him be for a little while.” The fae-human hybrid crossed his arms and stood firm.
“But I need to make it right,” Vidrio replied, worried. “I need to know what I did wrong.”
“Not right now you don’t. You can’t just ask people things about their parents.” Oak remarked, moving to be in front of the door. The demigod might’ve towered over him, but he knew Vidrio wouldn’t try to push past him.
“I don’t…I don’t understand.” Vidrio said simply, tipping his head down with slight shame. Oak’s eyes flicked away for a moment in thought, before returning to look at Vidrio.
“Sometimes…relationships with parents can be complicated. Sometimes fath-” he cut himself off and cleared his throat, “parents do bad things, and sometimes parents…die.” Vidrios head turned to the side.
“How do they die?” He asked innocently. Oak couldn’t look at him anymore. He knew Vidrio was oblivious to many things unique to mortals, but he hadn’t realized that maybe the demigod didn’t understand what death really was. Still, Oak wasn’t the right person to teach him. At least, not the right person to teach him correctly. Even if he was, Ophelia told him that Vidrio wasn’t allowed to know about certain things involving mortals. He wasn’t sure of the reason, but he would follow her instructions anyway.
“Um, i-it’s a mortal thing.” Oak dodged the question directly, but his answer only drew Vidrio in more. “It’s like…they go to sleep forever.” That was how his mother had explained it before his father had cut in with his much more realistic approach.
“Will you die?” Vidrio asked. Oak coughed, taken off-guard.
“Eventually. Not soon.” Well, he hoped he wouldn’t die soon. Fate couldn’t make such guarantees.
“If dying is like sleep, can’t you just wake them up?” Vidrio asked, and suddenly Oak wouldn’t be able to keep the truth from the demigod. Luckily, he spotted Ophelia walking down the hallway.
“Oh, hi Ophelia!” He called out to her, narrowly avoiding Vidrio’s question. He almost let out a breath of relief, but then Ophelia entered the room.
“Ophelia, if dying is like sleep, can’t you just wake them up?” Vidrio asked. Oak and Ophelia looked right at each other, and the older woman’s eyes bulged.
“Well, that’s really a question for another time, when I can better explain the answer to you.” She tried, hoping that her response would satisfy him for a little while until she could come up with an excuse.
“Ugh, why won’t either of you answer me?” Vidrio groaned, and it seemed like the crisis had been averted.
“Now, if you don’t mind, Oak needs to catch up on his reading with me.” Ophelia said after a little while, and Oak followed her out of the room.
“Why can’t we teach him about death again?” Oak asked as the older woman led him down the hallway to her library. They left the learning space behind them as they continued quicker than a simple walk, but slower than a jog.
“He’s supposed to remain…neutral in the dealings with mortals. Especially considering the story of Gar and Calen’s realm.” Oak blinked, not knowing that particular story. Ophelia sighed. “I thought your mother told you the stories about the gods?”
“Well…some. Mostly about Tierra, since she’s our goddess.” Ophelia nodded.
“Alright. I’ll tell you once we get to the library.”
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“Looks like ya got a kid now too, Sawyer.” Dallas laughed, sitting inside his tent. Edan was sitting in the corner, fiddling with an unloaded pistol Sawyer had given him to mess around with. It seemed the gunsmith understood his interest in guns, as he himself was interested in it. Sawyer looked at the young man, smiled, then turned his attention back to Dallas.
“Where’s yours at, Dal?” Sawyer asked. Dallas’s smile faltered, and he angled his head at the ground, a little shocked. There was no way he could’ve known about his son. Nobody, not even Jonah, knew about his son. But then it occurred to him that Sawyer was talking about Phillip, since Jonah hadn’t announced Phillip’s disappearance to the rest of the group yet.
“Gone.” Dallas could only give a one word answer. It was true about both of his sons. They were both gone.
“Dead?” Sawyer asked quietly, trying not to catch Edan’s attention. It seemed as though Sawyer couldn’t find the difference between a teenager and a toddler, though the way Edan fiddled with the gun with such curiosity probably didn’t help.
“No…j’st…gone.” Dallas sighed, rubbing at his eyes. “Jem said he just…disappeared.” He left out some of the more frightening details, because he was determined to prove that Phillip was not dead. But that phrasing got Edan’s attention.
“Disappeared how?” He asked, setting the gun aside. “Like through a portal?” Both Dallas and Sawyer looked at each other.
“A what now?”
“A portal. They’re these big glowing circular things that suck in whatever’s around them. It’s how my people ended up here.” Edan explained, adjusting so he could stand. “But I think there are other forms of travel between long distances, I just don’t know what they’re called.” He said with a shrug.
“Trains?” Dallas asked. “Do y’all even have trains?” Edan blinked at him, clearly not knowing about trains.
“Most of our forms of long-distance travel are through magic, though some prefer a horse or a carriage. I know sometimes it can be attached to physical objects, but I don’t really understand how it all works. I just know that it does.” He rubbed the back of his neck, ears flushing red with embarrassment.
“Y’don’t have to know how everythin’ works, kid. I don’t think anyone really knows everythin’ ‘bout everythin’.” Sawyer comforted the younger man, patting his shoulder. Before he could see the way Edan beamed at the casual contact, Sawyer grinned and turned to Dallas. “This old fart might know everythin’ though.” The burly man joked, and Dallas laughed.
“I’m prob’ly old enough to know your mother, Sawyer!” Dallas commented, and the two men only further bellowed with laughter. Edan smiled. He couldn’t remember any of his Captains ever being filled with so much mirth in times of despair. It was nice knowing the Alexandrian people could still experience the simple joys of joking with each other despite the horrors his own people had caused. Dallas and Sawyer were more alive than anyone he’d ever known in his entire life, and it filled him with hope. Once there was a break in the conversation, Edan asked about Dallas’ son again.
“So, you have a son?” Edan asked, hoping he could be a part of the community here and build bonds similar to the ones everyone seemed to share with each other.
“Uh, yeah. I s’pose Phillip’s like my son.” Dallas scratched at his scalp. His face saddened, smile pulling back down and his thick eyebrows depressing on his face. “Miss ‘im enough at this point.” Sawyer grabbed the older man's shoulder, shaking his frame slightly.
“If he ain’t dead, there’s still hope.”
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“The tale of Gar and Calen’s realm begins simply; Gar, god of sea and fluidity, fell in love with a mortal. For a while, the seas themselves were calmer and allowed ships to pass easily to other places, and their wedding was recorded in some history books. However, there is one difference between the gods and mortals - their lifespan.”
“As you know, mortals do not live forever. At most, the longest mortal life ever recorded was in fact Gar’s wife, as she lived to see nearly five-hundred years of age. But, due to the magic which extended her life through their union under Meollo, her mind faded long before her body did. Mortal brains simply aren’t built to last longer than their gods intended, which is why while some have a longer lifespan, it never exceeds around three-hundred years. Anyways, Gar would mourn her death for centuries, at least until Calen’s realm was finally discovered.”
“Calen kept the underworld a secret for a multitude of reasons, one of which being the fact that he feared mortals would try and invade. He feared being usurped as the ruler of the underworld, but the thing he wouldn’t admit was that he was afraid of the dead one day returning to the land of the living. Not because it would unleash disease or cause chaos, but because he had changed his realm specifically to fit their needs. He ensured his people would never need to ask for anything in their eternal afterlife, since mortality itself can be traumatic. Additionally, if the dead were ever to realize they were stuck in Calen’s realm eternally, they would wish to leave. Calen couldn’t have that.”
“So, when Gar uncovered Calen’s realm, he waged war. He assumed Calen had cruelly taken his wife’s life away because of jealousy. He assumed Calen had power over life and death, and though Calen tried to explain that the fragility of life was up to fate, Gar refused to believe him. This war had lasting effects in the mortal realm. It’s why we need portals instead of ships, as the storms in the seas are far too dangerous to traverse. Gar’s rage would shatter the illusion of joy in the underworld, and Calen would finally fight back for the good of his people.” Ophelia explained.
“What does this have to do with Vidrio?” Oak asked, interrupting her story. He was interested in the gods' conflict of course, but he was struggling to relate the two.
“You see, only two gods have the ability to understand the concept of mortality. Meollo, god of love and life, and Calen, god of death and the underworld. Gar simply didn’t understand that his wife was not purposefully taken from him. Vidrio, much like Gar, simply wouldn’t be able to understand that there is no tangible source of death. There is no god which decides when it’s time for mortals to go, it is up to fate and the universe to determine who lives and dies. There is no control, and no god should ever hope to gain control.” Ophelia explained. She paused to take a sip of water, then looked at Oak before she continued. “But, Vidrio is also a demigod: he’s half-mortal. There’s no telling what he’ll understand or what he won’t. We’re in unprecedented territory when it comes to him. There hasn’t been a demigod in the entirety of recorded history.” Oak’s eyes went wide.
“So am I supposed to just walk on eggshells around him?” Oak asked, now a little worried both for his friends sake and his own. “I-I mean I’ve seen him angry before, but would he hurt someone? Could he hurt someone?” Ophelia looked down.
“I don’t…” She paused, rethinking what she was going to say next. She sighed, “I don’t think he would hurt anyone, but he’s certainly capable of causing harm. He’s half-mortal, so perhaps his mortal side doesn’t know how to handle the abilities he has as a demigod. Or perhaps, his godly side will get in the way of his decision-making and he’ll think he’s above mortals and make decisions for them.” Ophelia stopped herself before she could continue spiraling, looking into Oak’s frightened eyes. “But, whatever happens, you will still have me.” She assured, and the boy seemed to relax a little bit.
“That’s…scary…” he trailed off, his eyes drifting back towards the library door, which was closed. “I mean, I’m also the first blend of fire mage and fae magic, but that’s…” He didn’t really know how to finish his sentence. He didn’t want to be afraid of Vidrio. That wouldn’t be fair to the demigod that had done nothing outwardly wrong. But, he was certainly going to be far more wary of him now.
Vidiro, meanwhile, was still sitting in the learning space. He was unsure of what to do with himself, and he was still confused about dying and Phillip’s conflicting emotions about his father. He wondered for a moment if love was supposed to leave him this confused, and for just a second, he doubted Meollo’s visions. He shook it off the minute he heard the sound of Phillips boots in the hall, and he waved him in.
“Hey, Phillip, are you doing okay?” He asked, hoping that this time someone would answer his question.
“Fine.” Came the simple response. While it was technically an answer, it didn’t quell Vidrio’s confusion. Phillip entered the room again, clearly expecting to see Oak, but his eyes looked far more tired once they met Vidrios again. The demigod's heart ached for Phillip, both longing to comfort and be with him while also wishing it were simpler. Everything was so complicated for reasons he didn’t understand and he assumed would never be explained to him. There were things he was expected to know as the son of a goddess, things he was expected to know as the son of a mortal man; but he still felt as though he knew nothing. He hadn’t even seen his mother since he had started studying under Ophelia, which was before Oak was even born.
“Phillip…was Alexandria…a nice place?” He asked, kind of out of the blue. Phillip’s eyebrows scrunched up, and his eyes focused on the floor to the left of the demigod.
“I-I think so. I, uh, I can’t remember much’ve anythin’, but I think eve’ythin’ was nice before the war.” Phillip responded to him with a real answer, and he finally felt as though he was getting somewhere. “M’sister is really the only part I still have.” Phillip mumbled, but Vidrio caught his words. He assumed this probably had something to do with the war, maybe his parents were held prisoner or hurt in some way that Phillip was unable to see them anymore.
“What’s having a family like?” Vidrio asked, turning to look at the human as he slid his back down the wall, ending in a sitting position. Phillip’s face immediately turned to look at him, the Alexandrians eyes widened.
“You don’ have a family?” Phillip practically whispered, like it was some horrible fate. Vidrios face flushed with embarrassment as he shook his head.
“I-I’m not…normal like you and Oak are.” Referring to them as mortals was probably the more correct term, but Vidrio didn’t think Phillip knew what that word meant, considering his reactions to a few other words he didn’t know.
“I ain’t normal at all, Vidrio. Ain’t none of the things I had to do normal.” Phillip replied, fiddling with his fingers as he sat down beside the demigod. Vidrio stared at the close proximity, feeling his face heating up. It felt nice to be honest with someone he knew he could trust. It was nice to just be near the person he was destined to be in love with.
“Well, you’re the closest I think I could get to,” Vidrio explained, looking at the desks in the room. “Besides, it wasn’t that far off right? I mean, I saw that memory of you and your family and it looked nice.” Phillip’s mouth pulled into a line as he looked away. “Was it not?”
“No.” Phillip sighed. “Whatcha saw was the nice bit.” His gaze shifted away and he muttered, “the bit I don’ even remember too good…”
“Oh. Then,” the demigod reached out his massive hands. “Could I see more?” Phillip stared at the hands for a moment. If he offered to show Vidrio more of the memories, they would resurface for him, too, which wasn’t ideal for some he wanted to forget. But, it would be faster and easier than explaining it to him, which was appealing. “It’s alright if I can’t. I understand.” Vidrios hands began to retract.
“I could…tell ya a story?” Phillip raised an eyebrow. Vidrio smiled.
“Yes please.” The demigod’s eyes sparkled as he moved to lean in closer to Phillip. Phillip’s fingers twitched.
“There once was a man named Dallas…”